What Now? Week 7 - Repent, Receive, Reproduce

Annoucements

Honor those who have fallen in the line of duty - Memorial Day

SO MANY VOLUNTEERS TO THANK THIS WEEK - Chad and Jen

DIFFERENT SERMON ON MY MIND - ALL WEEK

The Process

I have wanted to lose weight for a while now.

I consistently tell myself that I just can’t lose weight like I used to.

I blame metabolic changes.

The truth is that I could lose more weight if I ate less food and did more exercise.

Creating a caloric deficit will result in a loss of weight…It’s science.

The reason I haven’t lost weight is not because of a change in scientific fact…it’s because of a lack of working the plan on my part.

Here’s a big truth for our conversation today:

In order to achieve the desired result you have to participate in the attached process.

________

I Love a Good Docuseries

I like to know what the intentions of the authors are...

Why the album, why the book, how’d the show start.

The original intention of the work often gives insight into the path the work takes.

If we want to know more about being the church God has called us to be and the Christ followers God has called us to be…We need to look at his original intent.

Acts 1:8 NKJV

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

It was God’s plan for his church and those who followed him to be a place that was full of power, boldness, growth, and evangelism.

This is the kind of church we see modeled at the end of Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2:46–47 NLT

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

_________

The church of our dreams

This is the church that everyone would want to be a part of.

They were in revival…service every day!

They had authentic community - Small Groups were popping!

Their giving was extravagant

They had incredible community engagement (goodwill of all the people.)

They were growing exponentially.

We can look at this passage and identify these characteristics and think to ourselves; “I’d love to go to that church.”

We cannot have what they had…unless we do what they did.

__________

What must we do?

Peter had responded to being baptized in the Holy Spirit by stepping onto the porch and preaching a confrontational message of the gospel.

It penetrated their hearts.

Left them asking the question; “what must we do?”

Peter lays out the process that resulted in this type of church as his answer

Acts 2:38–39 NKJV

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

The process that Peter describes is threefold and will structure our conversation today.

Repent

Receive

Reproduce.

_________

1. Repent

Repentance, this word is commonly undiscussed.

where it is discussed it is commonly misrepresented.

We understand repentance to be the moment we feel bad for the wrongs that we have done.

The moment in which the preacher delivers the message and we emotionally respond to the altar (I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON..)

I would submit that these moments are often manifestations of regret…not repentance.

Regret leads to a forgive me mentality….

American Christianity is built on the concept of forgiveness.

REGRET IS NOT THE SAME THING AS REPENTANCE.

_________

Repent = μετανοέω (metanoeō). vb. to repent, change one’s mind.

When we come to Jesus from a place of regret we surrender our offenses. (wrongs).

I can be sorry for what I’ve done without having a change to who I am.

If I’m going to turn from my sin and live in a different reality…I have to change the way I think.

repentance isn’t a surrendering of my offenses…it’s a surrendering of my opinions.

________

WE HAVE A HIGH VIEW OF OPINION IN OUR SOCIETY

Don’t act like you haven’t gotten the adrenaline rush of finding a “reputable” article that backs up your particular opinion on an issue.

When I walk in repentance…I don’t just bring Jesus my sin…I bring him my soapbox.

Why is repentance such an important part of our journey?

PERSONALITY TESTS HAVE TO COME UNDER SUBJECTION WHEN REPENTANCE IS ENACTED

POLITICAL ALIGNMENTS HAVE TO COME UNDER SUBJECTION WHEN REPENTANCE IS ENACTED

PERSONAL VENDETTAS HAVE TO BE SURRENDERED WHEN REPENTANCE IS ENACTED.

We all want to communicate what we think about everything…when we are called by our God to put what we think on the altar.

A KEY TRANSACTION IN YOUR WALK WITH JESUS IS CEASING TO THINK LIKE YOU.

Romans 12:2 NKJV

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

_________

Think like.....

So if I”m not supposed to think like me…who am I supposed to think like?

Philippians 2:5–8 NKJV

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Paul says: THAT JESUS…THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY HAD AN OPINION WHO WAS WORTH SOMETHING…

Submitted his opinion to the will of God.

Jesus couldn’t be our example when it comes to regret…but he could exemplify repentance.

He submitted his opinion: will, desire, and motivation to God…

______

Repentance matters because repentance leads to change.

Regret based salvation produces a Christianity in which our sins are covered by the blood but we are not changed by it’s power.

The call to repentance is more than a call to forgiveness…it’s a call to transformation.

When you think different…you live different

Atomic Habits - I can’t decide I”m going to run…I have to decide “I am a runner.”

Until I think differently of myself I will not live differently as myself.

________

We should look different

As we begin to let the Holy Spirit transform our mind…our lifestyle should look different.

We need to bring life change back into the church again.

THE CHURCH HAS LOST ITS EFFECT ON THE WORLD BECAUSE IT HAS LOST ITS DIFFERENTIATION FROM THE WORLD.

WE LOOK LIKE THE WORLD…

ENTERTAIN OURSELVES LIKE THE WORLD…

(listen, watch, read, interact)

HAVE MARRIAGES LIKE THE WORLD…

RAISE OUR KIDS LIKE THE WORLD…

And then try to somehow convince the world that they need what we are selling.

“You will never significantly impact something that you significantly imitate.“

WE NEED TO REPENT

_________

Repentance…it’s more than a moment.

Here’s the challenging thing about repentance…it’s not an act as much as it is an attitude.

you don’t get to repent one time and then say…I’m a repenter.

We have to constantly bring our motives, desires, opinions, etc…to the altar…repentance is a posture in which we say

LORD I WANT YOUR DESIRES MORE THAN I WANT MY DESIRES.

TR: REPENTANCE COMES WITH A PROMISED SIDE EFFECT.

________

2. Receive

Acts 2:38 NKJV

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

IT IS GOD’S WILL FOR YOU TO RECEIVE THE INDWELLING POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Getting full of the Holy Ghost will fix a lot of your problems.

It’ll fix your marriage

it’ll fix your finances

it’ll fix your lazy problem

it’ll fix your people problem

it’ll keep you out of social media fights

it’ll keep you out of the club

it’ll keep you away from improper relationships.

YOU NEED THE HOLY GHOST!

As much as we need Him...It’s an IF - THEN transaction: (According to Peter’s sermon)

You can’t get to step B without enacting step A.

________

Why is an experience in HS so rare?

A lot of Christians don’t have an experience in the Holy Spirit BECAUSE…

THERE ARE MANY CHURCHES IN OUR SOCIETY THAT HAVE VERY LITTLE ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE MOVE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Itinerant minister preaching at an old traditional dead church.

Asked God how he ought to dress…God told Him, I’m not sure…I haven’t been to church there in years.

YOU OUGHT TO THANK GOD THAT THIS IS A HOUSE THAT WELCOMES THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ENCOURAGES YOU TO PURSUE HIM. (BECAUSE YOU NEED HIM!)

_________

Why do I need the Holy Spirit?

Do I need to have the Holy Spirit to get to heaven?

I need to have the Holy Spirit before I go to Walmart

Why am I commited to this mentality...

Because I’m not satisfied to simply wait for heaven.

Jesus is how we can get into heaven…The Holy Spirit is how we can bring heaven to earth.

Paul said it like this...

Ephesians 1:13–14 NKJV

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

We get a taste of heaven when we walk in the reality of being baptized in the Holy Spirit

_______

It’s not about me

When I receive the Holy Spirit…I have to do so realizing it’s not about me...

When I receive the Holy Spirit…my inward transformation escalates to an outward motivation.

As we pursue the Holy Spirit…we have to remember it’s not just about the gifts…it’s about the fruit.

Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

When I receive the Holy Spirit…I begin to produce out of me the things that Christ has shown toward me.

The world needs us to be representations of Jesus…We are ambassadors of the kingdom…The Holy Spirit helps us manifest the fruit that Jesus has shown towards us.

________

When I repent I receive…and when I receive I bear fruit…

TR: THE BEST PART ABOUT FRUIT…FRUIT HAS SEEDS.

Seeds possess the capacity to produce exponentially more fruit than the current fruit possessing the seed.

When I repent of my sin…and receive the Holy Spirit…I can then reproduce this process in the next generation.

________

3. Reproduce

This isn’t just for you…it’s not just for your community. It’s for your kids. It’s for your grandkids.

Parents…the greatest gift we can give our children is a home full of Spiritual fruit.

At some point that fruit is going to produce a seed that will take root in them.

_________

I don’t know how to convey truth any other way than the way that I get it for me.

It’s easy as a minister to turn my focus onto how am I going to effect the masses for the kingdom.

Especially in a season in which vision is one of my primary objectives.

But when I boil it down to what I want more than anything…

it is to do ministry in such a way that my kids are exposed to Holy Spirit charged atmospheres.

I’m thankful for excellence…but excellence isn’t why I’m here today.

My dad never pastored a church larger than 90 I never attended a church of more than 60 before that.

BUT I WAS IN ROOMS WHERE THE SPIRIT WAS WELCOMED

I marinated in spiritual environments…and eventually that seed took root.

As the corporate body or the congregations of our own households…the only way that we will be the “church Jesus intended” that we see in Acts 2:46 is to go through the process of repenting..receiving..and reproducing.